Cookie Swap 101
By Marci Lutsky
So you want to host a cookie swap. What a fun idea! Can you just tell everyone to show up on a certain date with cookies and hope for the best? Unfortunately the answer is no. Cookie swaps are a really fun way to gather friends during the holiday season and swap cookies to give as gifts, but they do require a fair amount of planning and ground rules. To host the best cookie swap this holiday season, follow these basic rules for a no-stress gathering your friends will enjoy!
The first thing to consider is when you will hold the cookie swap. Most cookie swaps I have attended have been just for women which is a really fun girls night out or moms night out during the busy holiday season. Women can unwind over a glass of wine and appetizers while sampling sweet homemade goodies. If you want to include kids (which my kids would just love) or families, you may want to consider scheduling it for during the day or early evening. Either way, you want to give guests as much time as possible to mark their calendars and plan what to bring.
How many cookies should each person bring? Two to three dozen is a good rule of thumb. You want each person to bring enough so that everyone leaves with a good sampling of each cookie plus you may want to display some of each cookie at the swap so people can taste them.
You should set up an easy invitation for people to view and comment with what cookie they will be making. This will eliminate too many duplicates. It is unlikely to happen, but you don’t want everyone showing up with snowball or gingerbread cookies. My preferred way to set up an invitation is through a Facebook event. This only works if everyone is on Facebook. Other ways to invite people are through a text message or an online invitation site like Evite.
Here are some other details to keep in mind. As the hostess, you can either provide cute containers for everyone to tote cookies home in or you can ask people to bring their own containers. You can buy really cute inexpensive ones at the local craft stores or just use regular storage containers. You may want to ask people to bring enough copies of their recipes for everyone to take one home. My recipe binder is filled with cookie swap recipes that I frequently refer to. This is also useful in case anyone has food allergies. Make sure you have a big table set up for everyone to display their cookies on and you may also want to create cute little cards in front of each plate to display the cookie names.
In my opinion the most important decision involving a cookie swap is what kind of cookie to make. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you can easily make in bulk and is pretty as well as tasty. Feel free to peruse my blog for various cookie recipes. My latest and favorite cookie recipe is for white chocolate lavender biscotti. These are a show stopper but I have to warn you, they are addictive and you should definitely make extra. Happy cookie making and best wishes for a happy holiday season!
Lavender White Chocolate Biscotti
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift the flour, sugars, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl. If you don’t have a sieve, you can whisk them together. Stir in the white chocolate chips and lavender. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Knead the dough a few times using your hands until it comes together. Shape half the dough into a log about 10 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place the log on the baking sheet and repeat with the second half of the dough. Bake the dough for about 30 minutes. Allow the logs to cool for 15 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 300. Slice the logs diagonally about ½ inch thick. Place the pieces back on the baking sheet, cut side down, for 10 minutes. Flip halfway through. The biscotti should feel slightly crisp and will crisp up more as they cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
